Deadline approaching for GMU name the race contest

Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) in South Carolina will host a fundraising run on Saturday, May 18, 2013. The money raised will go towards completing the new community aviation park. Race organizers have launched a contest to name the race, as well as create a logo for the race T-shirts.

“Since we are in the airport business, not running business, we have pulled in a very experienced race planner, Joe Lanahan,” said Joe Frasher, airport director. “Joe currently oversees the very successful TD Bank Reedy River Run and we are grateful that he has volunteered his time to help us.”

Logo for the new park

“Several airports in the country have this type event and they can be very successful. It’s a unique and fun project to take on,” said Lanahan, a Program Manager for the Greenville County Recreation District. “Many of these events use the same names, like ‘Runway Run’, ‘5K on the Runway’ and ‘Race the Runways’. We may use one of those, but thought why not have a name our event contest and see what people come up with, An event logo is also needed for our marketing and will be on the run T-shirts. We hope that some creative people out there will help us out,” stated Lanahan.

To enter: Creative event names and original logo contest submissions, along with the submitters contact information, should be emailed to Lara Kaufmann at LaraLKaufmann@gmail.com. Entries must be received by Jan. 15, 2013. The winner(s) will receive a free Discovery Flight donated by the Greenville Jet Center, plus free entrance into the 2013 race for themselves and a guest. Prizes are not transferable. If the chosen name is submitted by more than one party, the first one received will be the winner.

“The park is now open as a free-to-use public open green space where people can have fun and watch aviation while children have space to run around. People can have blanket picnics, schools can go on class trips, and everyone can get exercise. Next spring, the walking ‘runways’ and exercise ‘perimeter taxiway’ will be painted to look like real ones. We are now raising money and seeking donations so we can add two aviation themed playground equipment sets (one for younger children and one for older kids), a picnic pavilion, as well as a “Control Tower” climbing structure. We are also raising funds to transport and convert a fuselage into a unique and handicap accessible park entrance. We are looking for a naming rights sponsor and all donations are tax deductible,” Frasher added.

“The park project was conceived since over 10,000 kids a year used to visit our commercial airport (GSP) before 9/11. They can no longer do that,” noted Frasher. The park is located next to the Runway Cafe at 21 Airport Road Extension, Greenville, SC 29607.

GMU is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina and is a self-sufficient entity with financial strength that doesn’t rely on local taxpayers for funding. GMU is home to Greenville Jet Center, the largest FBO in the state, as well as more than 25 other aviation-related businesses creating 453 jobs that annually contribute more than $35.2 million to the local economy. For more information: GreenvilleDowntownAirport.com or 864-242-4777